The Secret Sister Job
by Kater85
Summary: Parker gets hurt in a fall and the team needs somewhere to take her. Hardison has just the place. Team as family fic, a bit of Parker/Hardison and Nate/Sophie. Rated T for language, violence and themes. Deals with child abuse, you've been warned
1. Chapter 1

Pretty please read and review. This is the first fic I've ever been brave enough to post so this is a bit nerve-racking. Any and all reviews are welcome and appreciated

Disclaimer: I don't own the team but I love them and had to play with them for a bit. The rest of the characters are all mine :)

* * *

Parker smiled her secretive half-smile as she exited the air duct and stepped onto the roof. She quickly checked her harness, knowing that she needed to get back to headquarters before they came looking for her. There wasn't necessarily a firm rule, but she knew that Nate looked down on them taking side jobs. But knowing that the Millennium Sapphire was at the Fillmore Museum made Parker practically itch with desire to steal it, a desire that she couldn't ignore. It wasn't even that she wanted to keep the Millennium Sapphire; in fact, she was just borrowing it for a few days and fully planned to return it. Mostly, she just needed to prove to herself that she could still run a job on her own.

With one last check that the jewel case was attached to her belt, Parker leapt from the edge of the building with a joyful cry. She still relished in the feeling of flying, the elation not dimming no matter how many times she did it. Suddenly her joy turned to terror when she tried to slow her descent only to find that the hand breaks weren't working. She gripped the rope with her leather gloved hands and her feet, using all her strength to try to slow her descent. She felt the rope tear away the palms of her gloves and begin to burn her hands but she didn't let go. Parker took the pain, knowing that if she let go, she'd die. Parker hit the ground hard and heard her leg snap. She stayed conscious just long enough to crawl into the alley before blacking out, the pain overwhelming her.

* * *

"Let's get this show on the road." Nate said, sitting down at the table, ready to see the presentation that Hardison had been working on all afternoon.. This meeting was a bit later than they normally were, it was nearly eleven but this case had piqued their interest and frankly they were bored. Sophie and Eliot walked into the room, Sophie with a steaming cup of tea and Eliot carrying two mugs of coffee with one of Hardison's favorite orange sodas. He set one of the mugs in front of Nate, slid Hardison's soda to him then took his seat.

"Where's Parker?" Sophie asked, from her place beside Nate.

"She said she was going out to get something about an hour ago." Eliot said with a shrug. Parker was always pretty quiet about where she's going.

"Hardison," Nate began but trailed off when he saw Hardison's fingers flying across his keyboard.

"I'm tracking her cell." Hardison said, "She's outside the Fillmore Museum. Looks like she's in the back alley."

"That's where they're showing the Millennium Sapphire." Sophie said, and then shrugged at the look Nate gave her.

"Can you get eyes down there?" Nate asked and in a moment Hardison had all the security and traffic cams up on the plasmas. There was a collective gasp as they saw the crumpled form of Parker. They all sprung into action at the same time, each going to do their part.

Sophie hurried to the cupboard and grabbed the fully stocked first aid kit while Eliot ran to get the van started. Hardison hacked into police scanners and cancelled calls to the Fillmore. Nate walked out to the van, clearly stunned by the sight and looking upset. They made it downtown in record time, taking only about fifteen minutes on the normally thirty minute drive. They were out of the van in a flash, all hurrying to Parker's unconscious form.

Eliot took the first aid kit from Sophie and began to check her for injuries. Sophie knelt by Parker's head and smiled as Parker woke up. "It's alright, we're here." Sophie reassured the thief.

"Hurts." Parker whimpered and each of the team felt their heart break a little.

"I know sweetie, but we're going to get you help." Sophie reassured her and looked up at Eliot.

"I think it's safe to move her. But I'm not sure where we're going to take her." Eliot said quietly. He turned to Hardison who was on the phone. "Who the hell are you calling?" He growled then shook his head and gently lifted Parker into his arms.

"She's got at least a broken leg, probably a concussion." Hardison said into the phone. "Yeah, forty-five minutes about." Hardison paused then said quietly. "I know, I know, I owe you, big time." Hardison hung up and headed for the van. "I've got somewhere we can take her, not a hospital, totally off the grid." Hardison watched Eliot, Nate and Sophie load Parker into the back of the van, Sophie and Nate sitting in the back with Parker and Eliot up front. Sophie had Parker's head cradled on her legs, continuing to stroke the hair out of the younger woman's eyes. Sophie found the whole thing absolutely heartbreaking. She wasn't used to feeling this way about anyone, especially someone as odd as Parker, but the younger woman had become like a younger sister, or maybe even like a daughter. Sophie looked around the van as they rode, noticing the moods of the rest of the group.

Nate was staring at Parker with a look of mingled horror and guilt, running his fingers through his hair and looking as though he desperately needed a drink. Eliot was sitting in the passenger seat with fists clenched, clearly wanting nothing more than to go and punch someone, but unfortunately it didn't look as though there was anyone to blame. Hardison was focused on the road, making sure to avoid the worst of the potholes and bumps, though he was clearly preoccupied and it looked to the grifter like he was afraid of where they were going. He winced every time he wasn't quick enough to miss a bump and Parker gasped in pain or whimpered. Sophie made a mental note to talk to the young hacker when she got a chance.


	2. Chapter 2

It took about forty minutes to get to their destination and Hardison cut the lights before pulling into the side alley next to a boarded up building with a sign that said New Hope Clinic. Eliot was the first out of the van when he saw a large man in a tux standing next to a leggy brunette in a cocktail dress. Hardison got out and walked over. "She's in the back Ellie." He said and the woman ignored him, hurrying to the back of the van and opening the doors.

"David, lets get her inside." Ellie said, all business. The man, David pulled some bolt cutters from the back of the truck that was already parked by the door. He walked over to the door and cut the padlock, removing the chain from the door and pushing it open. "I need a gurney." Ellie said and with a nod he grabbed one from just inside the door, coming over to the van with it. "You and you, help me get her onto the gurney." Ellie said to Eliot and Nate who did as they were asked.

"I'll get her in, go change." David said to Ellie who breezed by Eliot to help with the gurney. Ellie nodded and headed inside, passing Hardison again without so much as a glance. When the team got Parker into the clinic Ellie had already changed into pink scrubs with her hair pulled up into a ponytail that still showed signs of the curls she'd obviously taken time with. She helped move the petite blonde into a side room where she immediately began examining her.

"What's wrong with her?" Nate asked from the doorway. Ellie looked up to see the entire team of thieves standing behind him, watching intently as she examined the woman.

"I'll tell you when I've finished my examination." Ellie's voice was tense but she smiled reassuringly. "I'm sure she'll be fine." Ellie waved David in who was now dressed in scrubs. "Honey, come help me." She said and together they began to treat Parker. "We need to set and cast the leg first. What's your name sweetie?" Ellie asked and Parker answered softly. "Alright Parker, we're going to give you some pain medication for when we set your leg, but I'm not going to put you to sleep. It's going to sound awful when we do it, but you won't feel a thing." Ellie reassured her as she injected Parker's leg with a local anesthetic.

"I don't do drugs." Parker insisted feebly, attempting to sit up.

"It's not drugs, its medication, whole different connotation darlin'." David said reassuringly. "I'm going to hold your shoulders while she sets your leg okay, I just need you to relax." David explained, not wanting to upset her. Parker nodded wearily, knowing that if Hardison trusted these people that she should as well. David put his hands on her shoulders and Parker noticed absently the way his dark skin contrasted with hers that was pale and wondered if Hardison's would look the same next to hers. Ellie quickly used medical scissors to cut the leg of her pants up to the hip, parting the fabric so that she could see the wound. She probed it gently, feeling the break with sensitive and well trained fingers.

David nodded at Ellie and in one fluid movement Ellie yanked Parker's leg, hearing the bone snap back into place. She noticed out of the corner of her eye that several members of the group standing in the doorway paled and licked their lips nervously. "If you're going to be sick, go into the other room." Ellie's voice left no room for debate but she saw that none of them so much as moved.

The two quickly put a fiberglass cast on Parker's leg then moved on to her hands. "This is going to hurt a bit Parker, but I'll be as gentle as possible." Ellie said, her voice gentle. She snipped the remnants of Parker's gloves off her hands. "David, I'm going to need the antibiotic gel." Ellie said as she began to spray the wounds with a saline solution. Parker hissed and Ellie winced. "I'm sorry." She whispered, hating it that she was hurting her. David brought in the ointment and soon Ellie had neatly wrapped both hands. "Parker I'm going to give some something to dull the pain." Ellie smiled reassuringly at the young woman's protest. "It's not enough to dull your senses, though it might make you a little bit sleepy." Parker finally nodded and Ellie injected the pain meds into her arm. "You guys can stay with her, Alec, I need to talk to you." Ellie said sternly, moving out into the other room.

Hardison reluctantly followed her out into the darkened waiting area, stopping in surprise when she slapped his hand away from the light switch. "Don't touch that." She said, not looking at him.

"Look Ellie, I appreciate this, we'll get out of your hair now." Hardison said, taking a step back when she turned on him.

"I don't hear from you for six years, SIX YEARS! And then you call me, telling me to meet you, that you need my help. I ask no questions and you bring me some poor girl that's banged up and still, I ask no questions. But I will not lose my license for you. Do you understand?" Ellie said, her voice getting louder by the second. David poked his head into the room.

"Ellie, honey, we need to get everyone out of here. I called Carissa and she said he's asleep in our bed, we can put her in his room." David said calmly and Ellie nodded.

"Alec, I need to keep Parker under observation for a few days, I'm sure your 'friends' won't want to leave her, so I suggest that you all come stay with us. And you and I are going to have a very serious, very long conversation. Understand?" Ellie asked and Hardison gave a slight nod, knowing better than to argue with her.

David moved into the other room and began to quickly and efficiently gather things they might need at the house. An IV machine was moved as well as several bags of fluids. He also gathered a box of extra bandages and more antibiotic gel. "We'll fold the gurney into the van so that she can stay comfortable until we get to the house." David explained, his voice warm and deep. "El, you should probably write up an antibiotic scrip, have Alec's friend go fill it. I'll load Parker into the van and we'll head home." Ellie nodded and grabbed her prescription pad, waving Sophie over.

"I'm going to write this prescription for Cipro, I'll put it in your name so you can pick it up. Tell Kelly at the pharmacy to put it on the clinic's tab." She handed the small prescription paper to the grifter.

Sophie headed for the door, then turned. "Where exactly is this pharmacy?" She asked, realizing that she had no idea where they were. "Down and around the corner. Take a left at the stop sign and you won't be able to miss it." Ellie told her and with a nod Sophie headed out at a brisk pace, wanting to get back as soon as possible.

"We need to get Parker into the van, and then we'll fix the clinic." Ellie said and David nodded.

"You're sure about this?" He asked, personally he thought they all seemed like nice enough people, despite not knowing much about them.

"I don't think we have much of an option." Ellie whispered to her husband, acutely aware of the thieves around them. "If Josef finds out we were here he'll snap."

"Alright." David said with a nod then went out and helped Eliot move Parker into the van. He headed back inside. "El, I want you to get in the truck, I'll do this." He said, giving her a reassuring smile. She nodded, trusting him implicitly. She breezed past the three men on her way out.

"Where are you going?" Nate asked.

"To the truck. It's time to go." Ellie said, striding past them. These last few weeks had left her wrung out and emotional and her brother showing up in the middle of the night with an injured woman didn't do much to ease her nerves.

David made his way into the clinic and grabbed things off shelves, throwing them around. Eliot was in the clinic in a flash, drawn by the noise. "What are you doin' man?" Eliot asked, a frown furrowing his brow.

"We don't own the clinic anymore, and aren't allowed to be inside the building. I'm staging a break in." David's voice was heavy and Eliot nodded and began to help him trash the room. They made short work of it and soon were out in the vehicles with Ellie and David leading the way.

* * *

"Hardison, can we trust them?" Nate asked, though the woman had bandaged Parker up, he wasn't sure that this wasn't going to end badly for the team.

"Yeah, we can trust them." Hardison was uncharacteristically quiet, and Nate didn't think it was just because Parker had been hurt.

"Who are they?" Sophie asked, her voice soft.

"My sister and her husband." Hardison's answer could hardly be heard over the sounds of the vans engine.

"Sister?" Sophie asked, clearly surprised. "I didn't know you had a sister."

"That's because I didn't want her drawn into my world. I haven't seen her in years." Hardison's voice practically dripped with the guilt that he was obviously feeling.

"It sounds like you have a chance to patch things up between the two of you." Nate said in his best fatherly tone. "Family isn't something you should throw away."

"We're here." Hardison pulled the van into the driveway of a small two story home with an adorable little yard. The team unloaded and helped Ellie and David take Parker into the house. David carried Parker upstairs and gently laid her on a bed with a rocket ship comforter and then closed the door behind him, leaving her there to sleep.

"We don't have a guest room, but I can put an air mattress in the office downstairs." Ellie explained to the group, watching as David came downstairs and paid the babysitter who left.

"We don't want to impose, we'll just stay in with Parker if you don't mind." Nate said, wanting to keep his team in his sight, worrying about them. Tonight had been stressful and he knew that they all felt best when together.

"I'll get you some blankets and another chair or two." Ellie said and David followed. Soon Parker's room had been made as comfortable for the group as it possibly could be, two easy chairs were moved in and there was a twin air mattress on the floor. There were plenty of blankets and pillows to go around. Parker was still sleeping peacefully, the pain medication was still in effect. "Do you need anything?" Ellie asked and when everyone in the team shook their heads she nodded. "Alright, we're just across the hall if anything comes up. Bathroom is at the hall. Help yourself to the kitchen." Ellie stifled a yawn and headed into her room.

David had already changed into his pajamas and was lying on the bed beside their five year old son. "He's out." David whispered with a smile. Ellie nodded and quickly changed into her pajamas and then slipped into bed beside her son. It had been a very long day, and seeing her brother for the first time in years had rocked her emotionally. But tomorrow she would talk to him, find out why precisely he'd been so standoffish and maybe even introduce him to his namesake, the adorable little boy sleeping next to her.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks so much for the great reviews. Let me know if you think one of the characters is a little off (the cannon ones at least) so that I can fix it, feedback makes me happy and lets me grow as an author :) Here's chapter 3, enjoy

* * *

The doorbell rang and Ellie rolled over to look at the glowing alarm clock on her bedside table. It was just after six in the morning and with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, Ellie realized who was at the door. "Josef." Ellie said in response to the sleepy look David gave her. "Take Alec into his room and stay there, keep everyone in there, I'll deal with him." Ellie said, slipping out of bed as she heard pounding on the door.

"I'll go." David said, standing and lifting their still sleeping son into his arms.

"It's me he has the grudge against, if he doesn't get to take it out on me, it will just be worse. Go." Ellie said, gently pushing David toward the door. She watched as he slipped into Alec's room where Hardison and the team were, and then headed down stairs. David glanced around, taking note of where everyone was. Nate was reclining in one of the easy chairs with Sophie curled up at his side. Eliot was in the other chair while Hardison was sprawled on the air mattress and Parker was asleep in the bed. Nate sat up when he saw David and Alec enter the room, causing Sophie to wake up and blink sleepily. Eliot was instantly alert, sitting forward in his chair. "What's wrong?" Nate asked quietly, noticing the look on David's face.

"Ellie's taking care of it." David hissed. "Just stay quiet."

Ellie opened the door to find Josef Stanford, the local police chief on her doorstep. "Where is it?" He growled, pushing past Ellie, followed by a young officer.

"Please, com in." Ellie said sarcastically. "Where is what?"

"The stuff you stole from the clinic." Josef snarled.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Ellie said, looking at him as though he were crazy.

"Someone broke into New Hope last night, trashed the place and stole some supplies." Josef explained with a scowl.

"So you assume I broke into my own clinic?" Ellie asked. "You do know what they say about people who assume right?"

"It's not your clinic!" Josef bellowed and Ellie flinched.

"And thank god, I'd hate to pay the insurance for a break in." Ellie said calmly. "I didn't break into New Hope." She said, her voice even.

"I don't believe you." Josef said. "Mike here is going to search your house. Where's your husband?"

"He's out for a run. I don't care if you look around, just not in Alec's room.

"Oh, I thought I'd pop in on your little boy, say hello." Josef's smile made Ellie queasy.

"Not a chance in hell." Ellie said through gritted teeth. Josef laughed, pulling a gun.

"You don't get to tell me what to do." Ellie watched Josef headed up the stairs, making a beeline for Alec's room. Ellie sprinted up the stairs, pushing past Josef and positioning herself between him and her son's door.

"You aren't going in there." Ellie growled. "I don't want a pervert like you anywhere near my son." Ellie looked Josef square in the eyes as he pointed the gun at her head. "How are you going to justify shooting an unarmed woman?" Ellie asked. "Even for you it's going to take a bit of explanation. Plus, your lackey here doesn't look like he's signed on for murder." Ellie said.

Behind the door Eliot stood, heading for the door as soon as he heard the conversation. Nate grabbed Eliot's arm, frowning slightly as Eliot threw him off with a shrug of his shoulder. David put a hand on the Hitter's chest, stopping him with a pleading look. Eliot let out a low growl, clearly not happy that the other man was stopping him.

Ellie masked her terror with anger. "Does he know all about you, about your perverted tastes? How you only like girls until they're eighteen?" Ellie asked then slumped against the door as he backhanded her with his gun hand. Ellie tasted blood then stood, using the doorjamb for balance.

"Uh, boss, maybe we should get out of here." Josef's young lackey looked nervous.

"Uh-oh." Ellie mocked. "Doesn't sound so good. Maybe you should go." Ellie's voice shook slightly and she felt a wave of relief as Josef turned to go.

"I'm going to take _everything_ you have." Josef said menacingly.

"Best of luck with that." Ellie said with confidence that she didn't feel. Ellie watched as the two men left the house then ran downstairs and locked the door, resting her forehead on the cool wood. "They're gone." Ellie called up the stairs and didn't look up as she heard the door open.

"You okay?" David's voice sounded slightly shaky and Ellie knew that his having to wait while she faced down Josef was difficult for him.

"I'm fine honey. Take Alec back to bed." Ellie said, keeping her voice even. She didn't want him to come down and fuss over her.

"El?" David's voice was closer this time.

"Damn it David, I'm fine." Ellie's voice left no room for debate and David reluctantly carried his son up to their room, thankful that the boy had slept through the disturbance.

"Hardison, who was that?" Nate asked, looking at the now closed door.

"I don't know." Hardison's eyes were wide, he hadn't even known his sister had opened a clinic, much less had a kid.

"Sophie, this looks like a job for you." Nate said and the grifter nodded.

"We're not running a con on my sister!" Hardison said forcefully.

"Your sister just got threatened, your nephew just got threatened, and you don't want Sophie to con some information out of her?" Eliot took a threatening step toward the younger man. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"It's just not right, tricking her." Hardison defended himself weakly.

"She'll be fine." Sophie assured him. "I'm just going to chat with her." Sophie gave Hardison a reassuring smile then headed downstairs, leaving Nate to take care of the team. Sophie found Ellie sitting on the back steps, a cup of tea cradled in her hands, head bowed and clearly crying. Sophie grabbed a lowball glass from the counter, filled it with ice from the freezer then grabbed a bottle of Irish whiskey from the top of the refrigerator, then moved out to sit beside the crying woman. "Trade you." Sophie offered and Ellie looked up, making Sophie gasp as she saw Ellie's swollen split lip and rapidly darkening bruise on her jaw. "Oh my god."

"Thanks." Ellie took the bottle and glass, handing Sophie her untouched cup of tea. She picked an ice cube out of the glass and pressed it to her swollen lip, hissing softly at the pain it caused. She poured a couple fingers of liquor into the glass then took a long swallow.

"Want to talk about that?" Sophie asked, gesturing at the bruise.

"What's there to talk about? I'm sure you heard everything that happened." Ellie asked, confused.

"The story behind it. We can help you." Sophie said.

"What is it that you do?" Ellie asked. "My brother is a hacker, are you a hacker too?"

"No, I'm a grifter." Sophie said honestly. "We help people who need 'extra-legal' aid."

"So you guys are a real band of Robin Hood's Merry Men? Congrats." Ellie said. "At least he's doing some good."

"We can help you, if only you tell me what's wrong." Sophie explained.

Ellie sighed and drained the rest of her glass. "About a month ago his daughter came into my clinic. She said she thought she might be pregnant." Ellie's eyes lost their focus as she remembered.

* * *

"_Clara?" Ellie called and felt her heart clench as she saw the young girl stand up. She'd seen that bewildered look in the eyes of other girls who had visited the clinic. "I'm Ellie, please follow me." Ellie placed a gentle hand on the girl's back, guiding her through the door. Ellie sat down and watched as Clara sat down. "How can I help you?" Ellie asked kindly._

"_I don't want you to call my parents." Clara said nervously._

"_Anything you tell me is confidential." Ellie assured her._

"_I think I might be pregnant." Clara said, eyes down, refusing to look at Ellie._

"_It's going to be alright." Ellie assured her. "Do you know who the father is?" Ellie asked, glancing at Clara's chart and feeling her stomach drop as she saw that the girl was only just fifteen._

_Clara's eyes widened. "You can't tell him I told." The fear in her eyes was apparent. "He'll kill me."_

"_Its okay sweetheart, I don't need to know. But if he forced you, we can call the police. There's help out there, I can help you." Ellie said._

"_I can't call the police, they work for him!" Clara cried, tears burning their way down her cheek._

"_Okay." Ellie agreed. "First off, let's get a blood sample so that we can find out if you actually are pregnant. Then we can talk about where we go from there."_

_

* * *

  
_

"After she left, David and I did some research." Ellie explained, taking another sip of her drink then returning the ice to her lip. "Clara Stanford was the daughter of our esteemed police chief." Ellie looked over at Sophie who was clearly horrified." She came back a week later, looking for the results.

"And?" Sophie asked, her mind already working, thinking of ways to make this bastard pay.

"She was absolutely pregnant, and I knew that I had to do something. Police were out of the question but there was clearly abuse at home. I couldn't sit by and do nothing." Ellie said as though defending herself. "I had no idea it would turn out this way."

"Turn out what way?" Sophie asked gently. Ellie took a deep breath and continued her story.

* * *

"_I've contacted Social Services. We're going to get you away from him." Ellie told the young girl. "My friend Whit is going to take you to a shelter tonight. You don't have to go home."_

_Clara's face went white. "You called Social Services? He's going to find out." Clara began to sob._

"_You aren't going home." Ellie tried to reassure her. "It's going to be okay." There was a knock at the door and Ellie opened it to reveal a tall police officer with sandy blonde hair, ice blue eyes and a friendly smile. Clara looked horrified and Ellie abruptly realized the problem, but before she could explain, Whit moved over._

"_My name is Whit. Don't let the uniform fool you, I don't work for your father. He'll hear nothing about this, I promise." Whit assured her, his calm voice calming her. She nodded and Ellie gave her a smile and handed her a business card with her home number written on the back._

"_If you need anything, just call. Day or night." Ellie said, pulling the girl into a hug. "You're going to be okay."_

"_Thanks." Clara gave her a shaky smile that didn't reach her eyes then turned and followed Whit out of the exam room._

_

* * *

  
_

"I didn't know." Ellie moved away when Sophie tried to comfort her. She poured another couple fingers of whiskey and downed them. "I should have known." Ellie's voice was little more than a whisper but it didn't take someone as skilled at reading people as Sophie to hear the guilt in her voice.

"Should have known what?" Sophie asked, hoping to gently nudge the woman back to the story.

"That he'd find out. That I couldn't keep her safe." Ellie said, wiping away her tears and taking a shaky breath.

"He found her?" Sophie asked, though the answer was obvious.

"I got the call the next morning." Ellie said, her eyes lost their focus as she once again drifted into her memories.

* * *

_The phone rang and Ellie rolled over and fumbled for the receiver. "Yeah?" Sleep made her voice gruffer than normal._

"_They found her." Ellie recognized Whit's voice on the other end, and came instantly awake when she heard the pain lacing his voice._

"_What do you mean 'they found her'?" Ellie asked, sitting up._

"_There was a GPS tracker on my car. Two guys met me at my house and kicked my ass pretty good. When I woke up I called the shelter. They told me that Clara's dad had picked her up over an hour before. He's got her." Whit sounded upset and Ellie could understand the feeling._

"_I'm going to call the State Police, maybe they can do something. I'm sending David over to get you." Ellie nodded at her husband who was pulling on some sweats._

"_Ellie, I'm fine." Whit said, but the weakness in his voice undermined what he said._

"_And I'll know that once I check you out. No arguing." Ellie said then hung up, getting up to get dressed._

_

* * *

  
_

"State Police didn't do anything. I called the FBI, still nothing." Ellie downed yet another glass of whiskey and Sophie refilled it automatically. "Whit was more or less okay, a couple broken ribs and a whole bunch of bruises, but otherwise lucky."  
"And Clara?" Sophie asked, feeling bad as Ellie flinched as though she'd been slapped.

"They found her body last week. She'd been beaten to death." Ellie set her glass down and put her head in her hands. "Local police are handling the investigation, but obviously they're not going to catch him, now then he's running the investigation."

"How does the clinic tie into this?" Sophie asked.

"Our lender is apparently a friend of Josef's and suddenly decided that our mortgage was due in full. We've done everything we could, mortgaged the house, hell, I even hawked the diamond earrings Nana gave me the day I got married. It's not enough, they took the clinic. But worst of all, and the only part that matters, is that Clara died because I tried to help. Because _I_ made her father feel trapped enough to kill her. I may as well have done it myself."

"No, you didn't." Sophie's voice was firm. "You did all you could. Her blood is on his hands, not yours."

"Then why do I dream about her? Why the hell does it haunt me?" Clara asked, looking up at the other woman.

"Because he hasn't had to pay." Nate said from behind them. "Yet."


End file.
